Fire definition

Fire as a verb

1. start firing a weapon

   Same sense: open fire

2. cause to go off

   "fire a gun"

   Same sense: discharge

3. bake in a kiln so as to harden

   "fire pottery"

4. terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position

   "The boss fired his secretary today"

   Same sense: can, force out, send away, give notice, sack, give the sack, dismiss, give the axe

5. go off or discharge

   "The gun fired"

   Same sense: go off, discharge

6. drive out or away by or as if by fire

   "The soldiers were fired"

7. call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)

   Same sense: raise, kindle, provoke, evoke, elicit, arouse, enkindle

8. destroy by fire

   Same sense: burn, burn down

9. provide with fuel

   "Oil fires the furnace"

   Same sense: fuel

10. generate an electrical impulse

    "the neurons fired fast"

11. become ignited

    "The furnace wouldn't fire"

    Same sense: flame up

12. start or maintain a fire in

    "fire the furnace"

    Same sense: light, ignite

Fire as a noun

13. the event of something burning (often destructive)

    "they lost everything in the fire"

14. the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy

    "hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes"

    Same sense: firing

15. the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke

    "fire was one of our ancestors' first discoveries"

    Same sense: flame, flaming

16. a fireplace in which a relatively small fire is burning

    "they sat by the fire and talked"

17. once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles), associated with the humour bile

18. feelings of great warmth and intensity

    Same sense: fervor, fervour, ardor, ardour, fervency, fervidness

19. fuel that is burning and is used as a means for cooking

    "put the kettle on the fire"

20. a severe trial

    "he went through fire and damnation"

21. intense adverse criticism

    "Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"

    Same sense: attack, blast, flak, flack

Synonyms and antonyms

• open fire
• discharge
• can
• force out
• send away
• give notice
• sack
• give the sack
• dismiss
• give the axe
• go off
• raise
• kindle
• provoke
• evoke
• elicit
• arouse
• enkindle
• burn
• burn down
• fuel
• flame up
• light definition
• ignite

Opposite: hire.

All synonyms of fire, sense by sense

How to say fire

Fire has 2 syllables and rhymes with higher. Syllable counts and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary.

Words that rhyme with fire

• higher
• entire
• prior
• require
• desire
• wire
• hire
• acquire
• buyer
• liar
• tire
• choir

All 61 words that rhyme with fire

FIRE in word games

Scrabble

7

Words With Friends

7

Anagrams

2

Is FIRE a valid Scrabble word? Yes, it is in the ENABLE list most word games use. Check FIRE in the word checker, or unscramble FIRE to see its 2 anagrams and the shorter words in its letters.